Cross Country : VA to CA

I think we just all know that many newbie roadtrippers are overly optimistic about the time the trip will take, about their stamina for long drives, about determining budgets, etc. I guess we didn't all need to post so much but there's nothing worse than getting on the road and finding out that you need to drive those 10+ hour days when you thought you could do it in 8 hours/day. Ya know? I think we just all wanted to save you some grief. No offense taken and I'm sorry if you felt ganged up on. We just want your roadtrip, even if it has to be a speed run, to be as enjoyable as possible and to meet or exceed your expectations.

Not a problem; I really appreciate the advice here, and it's very helpful in terms of planning our cross-country move.

A question: the I-80 route certainly seems the most direct and likely the fastest. If we did decide to go the southerly route, say I-40 through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, how much more in-car/driving time do you think that would add to the trip estimate (of about 51 hours going I-80 all the way)? It looks like just an extra 180 miles or so, but I'm wondering if that route might be a little slower than I-80 more generally.

Your travel times along I-40 should be pretty similar to I-80. There aren't a large number of extra major cities or anything else that would cause a significant slow down on the highway itself.

But you are right, the I-40 route does add about 180 miles - or a little more than 3 more hours of driving - to a trip that is already really pushing things to the extreme in terms of time.

Has your trimeframe changed now? If you still have to get this trip done in 3 days - you are already going to be pushing your physical limitations to get this trip done on the shortest possible of route. Adding even more mileage to this trip on this timeframe would, in my opinion, be exceptionally foolish.

I think I sort of highjacked cooltiger's thread when I noted that I was planning the same trip in terms of origin and destination, and that created some confusion.

Unlike cooltiger, who had to do the trip in three days, I was never actually considering less than four, and very quickly after joining the forum realized even that would be pushing it beyond my comfort level, so decided that five would be even better. I could possibly stretch it to six, but six or more would create the risk of not getting to our new house before the moving van does (we're leaving a day after them, and their window for delivery is 7-12 days).

I'm sorry, I really should have read that more closely.

If you are giving yourself 5 or 6 the extra distance isn't nearly as big of a deal. Its still going to be a long trip, but the extra couple hours won't seem nearly as bad.

You really could take I-40, I-70, or I-80 depending upon which areas seem more interesting to you.